The Blog

I made these little cupcakes for my friend's baby shower, wanting something sweet and pink and light and yummy - they went down pretty well so I would recommend making a big batch!

This recipe should make 24 UK sized cupcakes - which would translate to about 12 US sized ones. There will be lots of icing which you can of course make any colour you fancy. Decorate with white chocolate shavings, sprinkles, fresh raspberries or sugar work roses - gorgeous!

Raspberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Icing

Serves:

Makes 24 cupcakes

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

30 mins

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

240g plain flour

280g caster sugar

3 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

80g butter

240ml milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g fresh or frozen raspberries

For the white chocolate icing

300g icing sugar, sieved

40g butter

90g cream cheese

50g white chocolate

Tools

2 x 12 hole cupcake trays, lined with paper cases - if you've only got one you can cook them in two batches

Heat your oven to 170c / 325F / Gas Mark 3

1. Put the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, salt and butter (which should be at room temperature) into a mixer and beat on a slow speed until combined. If you don't have a mixer, you can use a hand whisk to incorporate everything - but I would recommend sieving your flour to remove lumps.

2. Measure your milk into a jug and slowing incorporate half of this into your mixture.

3. Add your egg and vanilla extract to the remaining milk in the jug and whisk with a fork to combine, then pour into the main mix and combine until the mixture is smooth.

4. Fold in your raspberries and mix gently through the mixture. Some will break up to make the mixture a gorgeous pink colour - this is fine!

5. Use two teaspoons to spoon a small amount of mixture into your prepared cases - only a couple of tsps into each case. Add a couple of raspberries and then top with more mixture - this ensures you get some whole raspberries in each cake. The finished cases should be just over 2 thirds full.

6. Bake in the pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes, checking they are cooked by inserting a skewer, which should come out clean (unless it hits a raspberry!)

7. Allow the cakes to cool before icing.

8. To make the icing, melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a saucepan of simmering water. Sieve your flour into a mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients and the melted chocolate and combine well - you can use a freestanding mixer or a whisk to do this. If the icing is too runny, add some more icing sugar - too stiff, add a splash of water. Colour your icing with a couple of drops of food colouring in your chosen colour.